Higher order thinking in science classrooms: goals, means and research findings

Abstract

Science learning provides a wonderful context for developing students’ critical and scientific thinking. Critical and scientific thinking within science topics contributes to meaningful knowledge construction because it encourages students to process the science topics they learn by being active thinkers. In the Thinking in Science Classrooms (TSC) project instruction of thinking strategies is integrated with topics that constitute the regular school curriculum. General principles pertaining to thinking strategies are made explicit by applying metacognitive activities in the classroom. This article explains the rationale for the TSC project. It then summarizes research findings showing that the TSC project induces gains in students’ reasoning abilities and in their science knowledge. Students with both high and low academic achievements benefit from the TSC project. Finally, the findings show that explicit teaching of meta-strategic knowledge is a powerful educational tool for advancing the thinking of students with low academic achievements.